University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Softball Tops Badgers 10-9 in the Tenth
5/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Minneapolis - In the longest game of the year, the University of Minnesota softball team used every bit of every out they had to score a huge 10-9, 10-inning win over Wisconsin today (May 12), in the final game of the season at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
The schedule originally had a doubleheader for the night between the two teams, but after the length of game one, and a lighting delay to the start of the game two, time became a concern and it became too late to start the second game.
The win did not come easy, though. In addition to battling through 10 innings of play, were the elements. A cold wind blew all night long, and a steady rain fell through much of the middle innings of the game. Then there was the constant chasing of the Badgers. The Gophers scored first, only to see their lead erased just a half inning later. Minnesota tied the game in the fourth, but by the sixth, Wisconsin was back on top.
Two runs in the sixth gave the Gophers their first lead since the first inning, and a chance to close out the win in the seventh. But again, the Badgers answered, with a run in the top of the inning before a 1-2-3 bottom to send it to extra innings.
Minnesota (16-35, 2-15) snapped a 15-game losing skid - the longest in school history - with the win, and send off their seniors with a win in their final home game. Alissa Koch (Racine, Wis.) pitched the entire 10 innings for the Gophers, throwing over 200 pitches, and earned her first win in the process.
Wisconsin (19-30, 4-12) fell for the second straight time, and squandered away a five-run lead in the 10th inning to lose the game. The Badgers scored five in the top of the 10th to lead 9-4 heading into the final half-inning, but starter Letty Olivarez was roughed up in just a third of an inning in the 10th and was eventually pulled after the Gophers tied the score. Meghan Mcintosh entered the game in the 10th in relief, but gave up the winning run and suffered the loss to fall to 6-8.
The Gophers 10th inning rally included all nine batters, who combined for six hits on their way to the six runs. An ice cold Whitney Erickson (San Ramon, Calif.) was the eventual hero as she came off the bench to pinch hit with two outs and a runner on third.
Sammie Howard (Shoreview, Minn.) was standing just 90-feet from home and represented the winning run. Erickson fouled off the first two pitches she saw, before eventually going the opposite way and sending a flare down the right field line for the game-winning walk off single.
Setting up the dramatics was a pair of monster home runs from Malisa Barnes (Phoenix) and Kari Dorle (South St. Paul, Minn.) earlier in the inning. Barnes charted her first career two-homerun game, while Dorle hit her first career round-tripper. Barnes hit a three run shot in the 10th, to quickly bring the Gophers back within two after beginning the inning down by five. Her fourth and fifth of the season, she also had a solo shot to lead off the fourth.
Three batters later, with Alex Davis standing on first, Dorle hit one to dead center to tie the game.
For all the heroics of the 10th inning offense, the star of the night was Koch, who pitched the longest outing of her young career, fighting off adversity all the way just as she has done all season. She allowed 13 hits on the night, but struck out nine in the game, including the side in the second inning.
She entered the night winless, and battled through inning after inning, leaving 13 Wisconsin runners on base as she gave the Gophers a chance to win. With one out in the 10th, she took a line-drive up the middle off her wrist, but battled through the pain to finish the game and earn her first win (1-21).
Alex Davis (Harbor City, Calif.) ended the night with three hits, while Barnes knocked in a career high four RBI.
With the home schedule complete, the Golden Gophers will wrap up 2010 this weekend with a trip to Illinois to face the No. 18 ranked Illini May 14 and 15. Game-time on Friday is set for 6:00 p.m. while Saturday is set for a 1:00 p.m. start.
